US Inaction to Stop Shootings Confounds the World

A shooting incident occurred in the Empire State Building in New York City during the morning rush on Aug. 24, resulting in 11 people shot, two dead and nine wounded. In the past month, there have been at least six public shootings in the United States. Even in the international scope, this is beyond the pale. It is apparent that the U.S. government cannot stop the shooting.

Hours before the shooting at the Empire State Building, Norway sentenced Anders Brevik, who killed 77 people last year, to 21 years of imprisonment. Brevik will be confined to a space with three separate rooms, each of eight square meters — a bedroom, gym and study room. There is a computer, but no Internet access. This kind of “human rights treatment” will make prisoners in third world countries extremely envious.

The overall tolerance the United States and Norway have for the shootings are their social choices. Such choices have greatly confused many countries around the world. Whether or not their actions correspond to the social reality of the two nations, avoiding vicious crimes is much more urgent for most countries, compared to the U.S. and Norway.

Every country has people who hate society, and their hatred is probably not unfounded. It has been reported that the shooter in New York acted because of a quarrel between colleagues. His resentment and hatred is easily aroused anywhere in the world. When a person is determined to take revenge on society, whether or not he has a gun or another “weapon of mass destruction” in hand makes a significant difference.

People taking revenge on society get the most media attention; their information floods the media and Internet, continuously stimulating and luring others who are discontent about or hate society. If obtaining killing tools gets increasingly easier while the penalty for murderers gets lighter and lighter, it is probable that only a few societies can use everything to cultivate the goodness and rationality in people, while the natural result is more homicides in most countries.

We cannot let killing get too easy and make them feel that they have nothing to fear. The United States and Norway cannot be models for the world in this aspect. The Internet has brought new challenges to the social order in every country. If the shootings continue to occur, the practices of the United States and Norway may not sustain.

The governance of human society is getting increasingly difficult. Democratization has greatly increased the rights of the individual. There will be some people who abuse these individual rights, even for vicious crimes. Many countries are facing difficulties in balancing between protecting personal freedom and maintaining social order.

China has its own set of rules in social governance, but is also interested in social reform at the same time; there have been lots of practical actions. The control of social grassroots remains strong; it is difficult to say whether this is to China’s advantage or a problem. Right now, China has the opportunity to look at the performance of social governance around the world, but what China has learned from it is uncertain.

For example, it seems that the continuous shootings in the United States have not affected American views on society governance. Some people object to touching the problems in the United States and the West, believing that it will affect the reflection of their own problems. China now can gain experience from the United States and the West easily, but there are still obstacles to learning lessons. A number of leaders are swaying public opinion to lose objectivity in looking at the world.

The interface between China and the West is shockingly great. We cannot help but keep comparing between the West and us. It is a universal wish among the Chinese to want to learn something good, but to do this, we must truly find out what is going on between the West and China. It must be said, this is a very difficult thing.